From cancer researcher to stomach cancer survivor

When Sara
Souto Strom was growing up in Argentina, she wanted to be a mathematician. But
she became a marine biologist instead. Then a cancer researcher.

That's what
can happen when nothing much daunts you, not even pursuing a Ph.D. or two.

Now an
associate professor in Epidemiology,
she's followed a career path that looks a lot like an expedition.

Call of the wild

Strom
recalls having a scientific, inquiring mind even as a child in Buenos Aires.
Whether exploring the patterns of numbers or nature, Strom was drawn to
discovery. When her twin sister was getting interested in boys, Strom was
getting serious about zoology.

It wasn't
merely the dispassionate interest of a scientist.

"I still
like any animal that moves," she says. "Jellyfish, lizards, horses. Human
beings, too. They all need help."

Eventually
Strom set her sights on marine biology, and she spent seven years earning
bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees from the University of Buenos Aires.

Her research
as a marine biologist led her to the discovery of a new species of one-celled
protozoa -- and to her future husband. She was studying plankton on a research
vessel off the coast of Antarctica when she met Gary Strom. He was the
American-born first mate.

By then she
was ready to look up from her microscope, and she followed him to Houston to
start a new life. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do next but knew she
wanted to work more with people.

"I like to
work with human beings," she says. "People energize me. I like to be in a
crowd."

Following the clues

Strom
eventually settled on a new career in epidemiology. She spent four years at the
UT School of Public Health earning her second Ph.D., and for the last 25 years
at MD Anderson, she's devoted herself to understanding who gets cancer and why.

Looking at large groups of people as an epidemiologist, she tries to figure out
what the ones who get a certain disease have in common. The identification of
these risk factors gives researchers looking for new treatments better ideas of
where to focus their efforts. It also raises possibilities for prevention.

She's
studied prostate
cancer and leukemias
among minority groups, and she's a founding member of the Mexican-American
Cohort, which collects data in Harris County for long-term health studies of
this fast-growing, underserved population.

But Strom's
not just asking who's susceptible to cancer; she wants to know who's surviving
it.

For example,
Strom's research suggests that a man's weight when he's diagnosed with prostate
cancer plays a significant role in how aggressive his cancer becomes.
Especially if he's gained most of that weight as a young adult. Knowing that,
Strom believes that diet and exercise may reduce the risk of the cancer's
progression.

Her interest
in such insights isn't purely academic. It's personal.

Lessons in survival

In 2002, an
acid taste in her mouth prompted Strom to see her doctor and undergo an
endoscopy that revealed early-stage stomach
cancer. She credits her survival to MD Anderson's specialists and the
support of her family through surgery, chemotherapy
and radiation.
But she also believes diet and exercise played a role.

Even now
Strom works out regularly -- "that's a gift from me to me" -- and jokes she might
come back as a body builder in her next life.

"I put all
my energy into getting better," she says. "I was one of the lucky ones who made
it, and I went on with my life."

The
experience has affected Strom's approach to work. She's mindful that each
person is an individual, not a statistic, and she makes it a priority to
support colleagues facing cancer themselves.

She's put
some thought into personal priorities as well. The ocean still makes her list.

"My pleasure
in life is to go to Galveston and walk on the beach," she says. "You have to choose what's important to you
and put your energy there."

A
longer version of this blog post originally appeared in Messenger, MD
Anderson's bimonthly publication for employees.